The Jeep J8: Egyptian military Jeep Wrangler

The Chrysler joint venture in Egypt has already yielded dividends, in the form of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, which was originally created at the request of Egyption customers. Now, a beefed-up Wrangler Unlimited has been developed with the hopes that governments or businesses will use them in areas too demanding for conventional vehicles. Production began on November 13, 2008, in Cairo.

The J8 is essentially a beefed up 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited; the frame was reinforced to allow more abuse and greater payloads, up to a maximum of 1,339 kg (2,952 lbs.). Axles, brakes and suspension components were upgraded, and the rear suspension was replaced by a traditional, tough leaf-spring system. The axles are now Dana 60 models.

The engine is a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel rated at an impressive 118 kW (158 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb.-ft.) of torque, with towing capability of up to 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs.). A five-speed automatic transmission connects to the Command-Trac® four wheel drive system. The J8 also has a unique air intake with special filtration and a hood-mounted snorkel to go through up to 30 inches (762 mm) of water, or to tackle sandstorm conditions for up to five hours.

Available as a two-door with an extended pickup bed for personnel or equipment transport, or a four-door multipurpose vehicle, the J8 may be produced with numerous vehicle-body and seating configurations in either right-hand- or left-hand-drive.

The Jeep J8 is armor capable and could be used as a command vehicle, troop/cargo carrier, ambulance, or communications vehicle. Heavy-duty bumpers with tow eyes allow the Jeep J8 to be easily transported by air.

The Jeep J8 will be produced in a Chrysler LLC joint-venture facility in Cairo, Egypt, and will be available in spring 2008. It will probably not be available in the United States or Canada; and quantities will be necessarily limited by the production capacity, which is fairly small.

Dave Cushing, manager of complete-knockdown operations, noted:

The J8 is not a front line vehicle. ... there are many uses for a light utility vehicle like the J8 behind the lines. For border patrol, police activities, homeland security, radio communications command vehicles, data acquisition, or just for getting people around. ... The payload of the J8 is 3,000 pounds. We’ve learned that many potential customers will still want these vehicles armored. With its payload, that won't pose a problem. ... The two-door and four-door versions of this vehicle are built on the same 116-inch long wheelbase chassis. That's the same as the four-door Wrangler Unlimited. With the two-door J8, the added wheelbase provides almost a pickup-like bed in the back that can carry equipment and people. ... There are no definite plans to bring this vehicle to the U.S.

Jack Robinson, manager of the Middle East and Africa regions, said:

The Jeep J8 was actually designed for militaries outside of North America. That's why it has a diesel engine. However, the more we talked to various agencies, the more we realized there could be applications for the U.S. military operating outside North America ... It has applications for the governing agencies worldwide, ambulances, and rescue squads. ... Aside from the difference in payload, it's got front and rear bumpers that have been beefed up so you can actually pick the vehicle up with a helicopter. It's also got an air filtration device that filters out sand and dust for five hours in blackout conditions. ... We’ve also had a lot of backdoor interest in commercial use for this vehicle—for construction workers, farmers, some in mining operations and those in utilities. We're working on putting a business case together to do that. But so far, there are no plans to do anything aside from launching the Jeep J8 next spring for military and civilian government customers.

Thanks to Jeep News Now.